John b



(No Model.)

J. B. THOMPSON.

COVER FASTENING FOR SHIPPING GASES.

No. 349,863. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

MELTNEEEEE: I JvEHTm- UNITED STATES JOHN B. THOMPSON, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

LUTESVIIJLE, MISSOURI.

COVER-FASTENING FOR SHIPPING-CASES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,863, dated September 28. 1886.

Application filed May 29, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lutesville, in the county of Bollinger and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cover-Fastenings for Shipping-Cases, and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to improvements in devices for fastening the covers of shipping cases, crates, &e.; and it consists in the construction, novel arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claim appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shipping-case with my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fastener removed, and Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the entire case.

Before describing the details of construction of the present invention I desire to say that I am well aware that it is not new to provide a spring-fastening for the covers of packing and storing vessels, and therefore do not wish to be understood as claiming such, broadly.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates a shipping-case, which may be that of any ordinary or approved construction. At the opposite ends, and at a suitable distance from the upper edge, I provide this case with fixed transverse strips B, having about midway of their length vertical recesses O, for the passage of the staples secured to the cover. Beneath these strips or cleats I arrange the fastening device, which is of a form substantially as shown. in Fig. 3 of the drawings. This fastening is formed of a piece of spring-wire having one end coiled, as indicated at D, and provided with ashort branch, E, which is used as a means for fastening the (No model.)

whole to a box or the like. This fastening or attachment is effected by forcing the said branch through the wall of the box and clinching it 011 the inner side thereof; but the said branch may in some cases be left free to bear against the outer side of the said wall, and a screw or other securing device passed through the eye formed by the spring-coil D and through into the wall of the box. I11 this latter mode of fastening the screw would be carried into the elcat from its under side, as shown.

I indicates horizontal apertures in the outer sides of the end walls of the box for the recep; tion of the hook ends of the fastening devices, and E indicates finger-recesses for the rccep tion of the fingers to withdraw the hook ends of the fastenings in removing the cover from the box.

0 indicates the cover, which in the present instance is shown with transverse cleats on its under side near opposite ends, andlI indicates the staples, which depend therefrom, as shown.

The apertures for the hook ends of the staple-fasteners are arranged in the outside of the end walls of the box, directly beneath the vertical recesses in the strips or cleats B, so that the staples of the cover may coincide therewith in a transverse plane when the cover is in place on the box.

This device is very simple in construction, it is easily applied to a box or case, and may be manufactured at a trifling expense.

In operation the fingers should first be placed in the finger-recesses and withdraw the hook ends of the fasteners from their apertures in the box. The cover is then placed on the box so as to pass its staples down through the recesses O. The fingcris then re moved, when the hook ends of the fasteners will engage the staples and enter the aper tures F, thereby holding the cover securely in place.

Having described this invention, what I claim is The combination, with a shipping box having the horizontal apertures in its end walls and the finger-recesses adjacent thereto, of the transverse cleats having the vertical re cesses, the cover carrying the staples to enter the said recesses and coincide with the horizontal apertures, and the spring-fitstenings having their outer ends coiled and secured to the box, and their opposite ends hooked and adapted to enter the staples of the cover and the horizontal apertures of the box, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOIIN B. TFIOlVIPSON.

\Vitnesses WV. F. COLL, WILsoN SNIDER. 

